Guest Post by Patrick J. Buchanan
When Gen. Michael Flynn marched into the White House Briefing Room to declare that “we are officially putting Iran on notice,” he drew a red line for President Trump. In tweeting the threat, Trump agreed.
His credibility is now on the line.
And what triggered this virtual ultimatum?
Iran-backed Houthi rebels, said Flynn, attacked a Saudi warship and Tehran tested a missile, undermining “security, prosperity, and stability throughout the Middle East,” placing “American lives at risk.”
But how so?
The Saudis have been bombing the Houthi rebels and ravaging their country, Yemen, for two years. Are the Saudis entitled to immunity from retaliation in wars that they start?
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Where is the evidence Iran had a role in the Red Sea attack on the Saudi ship? And why would President Trump make this war his war?
As for the Iranian missile test, a 2015 U.N. resolution “called upon” Iran not to test nuclear-capable missiles. It did not forbid Iran from testing conventional missiles, which Tehran insists this was.
Is the United States making new demands on Iran not written into the nuclear treaty or international law — to provoke a confrontation?
Did Flynn coordinate with our allies about this warning of possible military action against Iran? Is NATO obligated to join any action we might take?
Or are we going to carry out any retaliation alone, as our NATO allies observe, while the Israelis, Gulf Arabs, Saudis and the Beltway War Party, which wishes to be rid of Trump, cheer him on?
Bibi Netanyahu hailed Flynn’s statement, calling Iran’s missile test a flagrant violation of the U.N. resolution and declaring, “Iranian aggression must not go unanswered.” By whom, besides us?
The Saudi king spoke with Trump Sunday. Did he persuade the president to get America more engaged against Iran?
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is among those delighted with the White House warning:
“No longer will Iran be given a pass for its repeated ballistic missile violations, continued support of terrorism, human rights abuses and other hostile activities that threaten international peace and security.”
The problem with making a threat public — Iran is “on notice” — is that it makes it almost impossible for Iran, or Trump, to back away.
Tehran seems almost obliged to defy it, especially the demand that it cease testing conventional missiles for its own defense.
This U.S. threat will surely strengthen those Iranians opposed to the nuclear deal and who wish to see its architects, President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, thrown out in this year’s elections.
If Rex Tillerson is not to become a wartime secretary of state like Colin Powell or Dean Rusk, he is going to have to speak to the Iranians, not with defiant declarations, but in a diplomatic dialogue.
Tillerson, of course, is on record as saying the Chinese should be blocked from visiting the half-dozen fortified islets they have built on rocks and reefs in the South China Sea.
A prediction: The Chinese will not be departing from their islands, and the Iranians will defy the U.S. threat against testing their missiles.
Wednesday’s White House statement makes a collision with Iran almost unavoidable, and a war with Iran quite possible.
Why did Trump and Flynn feel the need to do this now?
There is an awful lot already on the foreign policy plate of the new president after only two weeks, as pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine are firing artillery again, and North Korea’s nuclear missile threat, which, unlike Iran’s, is real, has yet to be addressed.
High among the reasons that many supported Trump was his understanding that George W. Bush blundered horribly in launching an unprovoked and unnecessary war on Iraq.
Along with the 15-year war in Afghanistan and our wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen, our 21st-century U.S. Mideast wars have cost us trillions of dollars and thousands of dead. And they have produced a harvest of hatred of America that was exploited by al-Qaida and ISIS to recruit jihadists to murder and massacre Westerners.
Osama’s bin Laden’s greatest achievement was not to bring down the twin towers and kill 3,000 Americans, but to goad America into plunging headlong into the Middle East, a reckless and ruinous adventure that ended her post-Cold War global primacy.
Unlike the other candidates, Trump seemed to recognize this.
It was thought he would disengage us from these wars, not rattle a saber at an Iran that is three times the size of Iraq and has as its primary weapons supplier and partner Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
When Barack Obama drew his red line against Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons in Syria’s civil war, and Assad appeared to cross it, Obama discovered that his countrymen wanted no part of the war that his military action might bring on.
President Obama backed down — in humiliation.
Neither the Ayatollah Khamenei nor Trump appears to be in a mood to back away, especially now that the president has made the threat public.
“Unlike the other candidates, Trump seemed to recognize this.”
——– article
Has Buchanan been living under a rock? Trump has been anti-Iran from the very beginning! Now, he’s surprised that Trump is doing what he said he would do?
After a week in office I’m sure TPTB made it crystal clear that America NEEDS an enemy …. you know, to justify a Trillion a year. I guess for DOnald that enemy will be Iran. And, China. And, N Korea. The new axis of evil, The Traxis. What could go wrong?
“we are officially putting Iran on notice,”
——– Gen. Michael Flynn
WTF does that even mean? Third grade bullshit!
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
The new US ambassador to the United Nations used her inaugural statement to the international body to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine.
She said, “The United States stands with the people of Ukraine who have suffered for nearly three years under Russian occupation and military intervention.”
Really??? Russia has OCCUPIED Ukraine for three fucking years??? No word at all about the fucking Nazi (literally) government in Kiev bombing the fuck out of CIVILIANS in Eastern Ukraine???
#fuckmedead …. things really aren’t going to change that much, are they? What if El Coyote has been right all along?
I guess I’ll wait for starfcker to come along and bitch-slap me back into reality.
Stucky’s knowledge of foreign affairs is only exceeded by his mastery of the English language. It appears that someone has beaten you about the head and shoulders often and badly else you might not utter such bromides with such faculty.
Thanks. I think.
I don’t think Trump would be foolish enough to get us in another war so early.That would give his political enemies alot of ammunition .They would savage him in the media.The leftist Progressives / Neoconservatives probably hate him more than Iran.
What are you talking about? All of his political enemies have backed every other US war, intervention, coup, sanction, etc..
There is nothing more cowardly than someone who will fight for nothing, who will sacrifice every principle in the name of fear. Go put on your chains and snivel at the feet of Tehran like Jimmy and Obama.
Wtf? The United States and Isreal have nuclear weapons, wtf. Osama Bin Laden did not bring down the world trade centers.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/05/15/who-killed-osama-bin-laden/
And how exactly do you know who financed, supported and trained the hijackers. Pray tell us the sources of your vast knowledge Danny.
Dear God, the American people, if this is the way it’s going to be, really don’t have a single fucking choice.
Exactly. If I’d wanted McCain’s foreign policy, I’d have voted for Hillary.
New boss, same as old boss. Looks like the same old neo-conned agenda. Gin up another war in the Middle East to keep the military industrial complex busy and the jewish masters happy. Same old fucking shit, different day. So fucking transparent. The American public are soooo stupid. Iran = bad therefore war is great. Iran is no threat to us.
Boy Soros has a big payroll Dio.
It’s why I’m a proud non-voter. It’s the same old shit decade in and decade out. Say whatever you need to get elected then fall in line behind the PTShouldn’tB. So instead of fighting a disarmed basket case like Iraq Trump risks war with Iran for firing one friggen missile, Russia for retaking a Russian speaking territory they’ve had longer than before we stole San Diego from Mexico and China for building bases in the (apparently misnamed) South China Sea (who knew the Monroe Doctrine stretched that far?). Vote my ass. I was tired of being taken for a sap decades ago.
CC tells us he wouldn’t fight a war if Russia seized a Russian speaking terriroty like Brighton Beach or Coney Island.
One wonders what he’d fight for? Probably the rights of gays to go into little girls toilets.
I’d like to think this is just Trump talking tough to get his nominees confirmed and so that the Deep State delays his assassination. Unfortunately, these are multiple Trump nominees not only talking tough but doing so in ways that paint us into a corner. Drawing red lines. He’s usually many moves ahead on the chessboard, so I’ll remain hopeful, but this is worrisome.
Iska is sooo worried about offending Tehran. But beating up on Trump supporters or burning college campuses-not so much.
Why not just do what Obama did with Tehran or better yet what Clinton did to arm North Korea. We’re so much safer that we didn’t offend these peace loving states. Right tell us more.
What we have to deal with in Iran is what Obama left us, what he set us up for.
How we will do it remains to be seen, but we will have to deal with it one way or another.
Iran is not a rational country, it is an Islamic country and believes it is destined to start the final war that will bring the twelfth Imam who will establish total Islamic rule to earth and subjugate all its peoples to Allah. It has been a hostile country to America (as well as the entire western world) since the fall of the Shah and views America as the enemy it has to destroy to accomplish its destiny.
It is on one side, we are on the other, and an unavoidable clash between us is coming. There is no way to avoid it so we need to start figuring out how to win it instead of losing it as we seem to have decided to do under Obama.
I wonder how many americans even acknowledge that we are in wars all over the world. The narrative is we are good and anyone who defies us is bad. The lack of geographical and historical knowledge makes us easily manipulated en-mass. Look at the Mark Dice videos or Jay walking and you understand the useful idiots burning up the UC Berkeley campus. People should be protesting wars.
That being said, I understand that the big state is ultimately defending the dollar. The ability to buy real things and real labor for digital digits that will never be redeemed is how we live in the wealthiest country. As Dick Cheney said, “Our way of life is non-negotiable”
I think a lot of people voted for Trump hoping he may scale back the war machine and negotiate good trade deals . I was one of them. People put a lot of hope in Obama. Look how that turned out.
I will keep voting, but only for third parties, not the Republicrats.
Ohh…Oceania forgets who the enemies of the perpetual wars are because enemies become allies….like us funding rebels in Syria who are aligned with Al Qaeda who supposedly crashed airliners into the WTC! Ahh…living through this shit sometimes is overwhelming to say the least! Especially dealing with a bunch of good lil’ followers! Let’s see what the Ministry of Truth has in store for us now!
Can I have the name of your dealer? That must be a heck of a trip your on.
Hey Anonymous why don’t you try using your brain instead of spitting back propaganda you heard on the evening news. Fucking moron. Iran + bad = war.
Iran has constantly called for the destruction of America, in case you haven’t paid any attention to it.
One example:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/05/iran-general-our-ultimate-goal-is-the-destruction-of-america-and-israel/
It has been doing this on a very regular basis since the Imams took over and overthrew the Shah.
Something you support, I presume? Islam being the religion of peace that threatens no one and all that sort of stuff.
Anon tells us war is bad. Too bad he never felt that way about Obama’s warmongering. Just another Soros troll.
“Bibi Netanyahu hailed Flynn’s statement, calling Iran’s missile test a flagrant violation of the U.N. resolution and declaring, “Iranian aggression must not go unanswered.” By whom, besides us?”
Not us. However, I admit to not being in their information loop. I do know, just me here,
that I am sick of war, selling weapons, regime change and nation building. And very sick
of anything ME.
Iran starts a war in the ME and the entire world will be involved in it, just like the killing of a single man in Sarajevo, the Archduke Ferdinand, resulted in the entire Western world being engulfed by war almost overnight.
Best to nip it in the bud today, not wait for that to happen tomorrow. And better still, best to stop it now before a war is needed to do it.
Iran military budget 10 billion (2015). US military budget 598 billion (2015). Iran’s military buget is equal to the cost of 29 – F22 Raptors ($350 million a piece). Yeah we should be shaking in fear.
Diogenes tells us not to fear Iran. Imagine all those stupid Americans who didn’t fear Imperial Japan prior to Pearl Harbor. After all Japan had an industrial capacity 5% of the USA in 1941, what could possibily go wrong with an Iran who threatens us with death daily.
Have no fear Obama’s bath house buddy Dio says Iranians are our friends, like the North Koreans, Cubans, and other assorted savages who daily wish for our demise.
“Nip it in the bud” huh Anon? No sweat. A cakewalk. A stroll in the park. Flowers in our soldier’s path. Three maybe 4 weeks at the most. Home for Memorial Day. Where have we heard this before?
Yeah CC tells us again and again no war is worth fighting, until you have no choice because your enemy has devastated you. Tell us about your vast military experience you romper room commando.
Unless the United States wants the 5th Fleet at bottom of Persian Gulf nothing is going to happen. All one has to do is look at a Map. Iran has Strategic Depth and most Importantly Geography on its side.
Unlike Iraq, Syria and Yemen the country can be easily supplied by Russia via the Caspian Sea. Basically a Russian Lake. To the south facing Saudi Arabia the Persian Gulf is not very wide.
When Reagan built his 600 ship Navy in the 1980’s it didn’t take long for the Russians to realize that they wouldn’t be able to go ship for ship in race. They just didn’t have the money . So instead they went all in developing anti-ship missiles. Not the Sissy boy Harpoons used by us. Nope they employed speed and numbers to overwhelm defenses. So now behind every rock and every hill on the south coast of Iran could be super sonic anti-ship missiles. They have 1000’s of these. 1000’s. It would be asymmetric warfare that Hannibal would approve.
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The Ships of the 5th fleet would have seconds to respond to any attack.
So the Nuke Installations get attacked. What then? United States going to invade as well. What if the Iranians just wait. Bide their time. Then a couple weeks later mine the Gulf.
What then Kagan?
Any ideas Kristol?
What happens when Hezzbollah and Hamas launch 10000 or so missiles at Israel.
Meanwhile the Ayatollahs need only wait for USN to be forced to Escort slow moving Tankers thru the Strait of Hormuz. Say good bye to 5th Fleet. For the United States to Control it they would have to seize all of coastline of Iran. Laughable considering that right now the USA cannot even take Back control of Mosul and Raqqa from ISIL.
All the fucken’ geniuses at Pentagon and they can’t look at a map of where US forces are fighting right now. Shouldn’t it concern planners that forces in Afghanistan would essentially be cut off from re-supply. The situation is even worse in Iraq. There American blood and gold is being spent fighting a proxy war for, wait for it, Iran. Yup in Iraq the NeoCons work for Iran. The stupid burns.
Saddam Hussein warned the West about all this but nobody would listen.
Iran is about to use the same playbook used to defeat a much larger Roman Army at the Battle of Cannae. Like the Romans we in the West are getting a bit too cocky about our strength and worse the supposed weakness of opponent.
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The Neo-Con Project For A New American Century is over. The only question is weather those ships get scuttled by old age or sent to early watery grave.
https://youtu.be/zl48bwYBDfA
Great points, RiNS. It’s like those ridiculous tanks ODumbo put on the Russian border (without fuel or extra ammo). There are weapons you can carry in 1 hand that can take them out. Surface ships are floating targets. It’s just a question of where you want them to settle on the ocean floor. Sorry to disappoint those brave souls who ache for battle (fought with other people’s kids) but they’ll be no more DDays. The world has changed. We’ve been fought to a draw in Iraq fighting a bunch of tribes that now owe allegiance to Iran. In Afghanistan we’re at a standstill fighting Pygmies using Kalashnikov rifles- a 1950 technology. My guess is that there’s some 16 year old kid in China or Russia putting the finishing touches on a program that will blow our rickety old power grid to smithereens. Checkmate. And all those fancy multi billion dollar jets that aren’t quite as good as the F16’s they’re suppose to replace and billion dollar destroyers that need a tow to get home will be what they were to begin with; expensive scrap metal.